Dwight c



.atented'Apr-- 24, 1888.

(No Model.)

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DWIGHT C. CLAPP, OF OWOSSQ MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR 'OF ONE-HALF TO DAVID M.ESTEY,

BUREAU.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 381.760,` dated April2.4, 1888.

Application filed October 10, 1887.

To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, DWIGHT C. CLAPP, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Owosso, in the county of Shiawassee and State of Michigan,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bureaus; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, which will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying draw,` ings, which form a part of thisspecification, and in which- Figure l is a top plan view of my improvedbureau with the top plate removed. Fig. 2is a vertical sectional view online x 0c, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar view on line y y, Fig. 1. Fig. 4is a perspective vdetail view of one of the drawersupports; and Fig. 5is a perspective view ofthe end piece of the bureau havin g thespring-actuated blocks or cushionpieces.

Similar numerals of reference indicate cor responding parts in all thefigures.

My invention has relation to bureaus, cabinets, 85e., and itl consistsin the improved construction and combination of parts ofa bureau, and inthe construction and combination of parts of a support for one end ofthe drawers, having a bar bearingagainst one end of the drawer and heldagainst it by means of springs and forcing the other end of the draweragainst the support at that end, binding the drawer in the supports, ashereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, the numerals l indicate the rear cornerposts and the numerals 2 indicate the forward corner posts. The rearcorner posts havetheir inner sides formed with vertical grooves 3, andtheir forward faces formed with vertical grooves `4, and the tonguedside edges, 5, of the back panel, 6, tit into the gooves in the innersides, while the tongued rear edges, 7, of the stiles of the end panels,8, it into the grooves in the forward sides. The forward posts areformed with vertical grooves 9 in their rear sides, into which thetongued forward edges, 10, of the Stiles of the end panels iit, and theinner faces of the forward posts are formed with mortises vseein No.251,934. (No model.)

with transverse grooves 14 and bars 15,having a longitudinal groove, 16,in their inner sides, are secured with their outer portions in thegrooves in one of the said panels, and have rabbeted strips 17,securedwith their tongues 18 in the grooves in their faces, the said barsforming guides for one end of the drawers 19, and the strips formingsupports for the ends of the drawers. Bars 20 are secured in the groovesofthe other panel, and have dove tailed recesses 21 out into their innerfaces,and bars 22 are glued to the under sides of the projectingportions of these bars, and have their upper inner edges rabbeted, asshown. at 23, to form grooves similar to the grooves 1n the supports ofthe opposite panel. Rabbeted bars or strips 2i are secured with theirtongues 25 in the grooves thus formed.

The dovetailed pieces 26, cut out of the upper bars, are slightlyshortened by the sawkerfs in cutting them out, so as to be capable ofbeing forced partly out of the recesses, though held from fallingentirely out by the springs 27, which are secured with their ends in theinner sides of the recesses,having their free ends projecting toward theends and out of the recesses and bearing against the inner sides of thebeveled or dovetailed pieces, forcing the said pieces partly out of therecesses,or until their beveled ends come in contact with the beveledends of the walls ofthe recesses. It willthusbeseen thatthedrawerswillatalltimes be held firmly and without play in the guides, as thespring-cushioned pieces will force them against the guides of theopposite panel, and the drawers may therefore be made to fit snugly intheir guides without any danger of their working too loosely in theguides as the wood gets older and more seasoned.

By this construction the entire bureau is put together without theemployment of gluing-blocks, which are liable to break oft and. also tochange their position as the wood seasons, and the drawers will have aperfectly IOO firm and tight support without being snpported tootightly, as the spring -cushioned pieces will always yield to anyswelling ofthe wood.

By cutting the rabbets upon the outer corners of the stiles of the endpieces, and cutting the grooves in the stiles ofthe front and back panelfarther in from the outer edges, a larger shoulder is formed upon theend panels, and a wider hearing is also secured upon the back and frontpanels, against which the shoulders rest, thus making a very strongjoint when glued together, and that without the use of glue-blocks,nails, or screws. The sameis true of the construction of the drawersupports and rests, in which the rahbets upon the lower outer edges formshoulders which hear against the adjoining parts and help to support theweight of the drawers and their contents.

Flat diverging and inwardly bulging springs are shown employed in thedrawings, but any other 'form of springs may be substituted which may befound practicable.

Havingthus described my invention, l'elaiin and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United Statesm 1. In a bureau, the combination,with the end panels, the inner faces of which are provided withhorizontal grooves,ofthe combined guides and supports,eaeh of which iscomposed of a bar and a strip, the outer side el' each of which isprovided with a tongue formed by rabbeting the lower outer edges, andthe inner face of the bar is provided with a longitudinal groove, thetongue of the bar tting within the groove-in the inner face of the endpanel, and the tongue ot' the support fitting in the groove of the bar.

2. In a bureau, the combination, with the end panels, ofdrawers, guidesupon the inner face of one panel and supports upon the inner face oftheotl1erpanel,strips upon thesupports,

each having a dovetailed recess in its inner face, and a spring-actuateddovetailed piece eut from said strip and fitting within the recess andbearing against the end ofthe drawer, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination of an end panel ofa bureau having transverse groovesupon the inner side, bars secured in the grooves and having dovetailedrecesses in their inner projecting faces, bars glued to the projectingportions ofthe under sides of the bars and having their upper cornersrabbeted to form grooves, supporting-strips fitted with tongues into thesaid grooves, and dovetailed bars or pieces fitting into the recessesand forced outward in the saine by suitable springs, as and for thepurpose shown and set forth.

et. In a bureau, the combination ofthe drawers, suitable end guides forthe drawers upon one end panel, an end panel having horizontal grooves,bars secured with their outer sidesin the grooves and having dovetailedrecesses in their inner sides, bars secured to the initier sides of theformer bars and having their upper corners rabbeted to forni grooves,strips having tongues tilting into the said grooves and forming supportsfor the drawers, dovetailed pieces fitting in the recesses andprojecting slightly out of thesame,aud ilatsprings secured with theirinner endsin the inner sides ofthe recesses and having their divergingand bulging ends bearing against the inner faces ofthe dovetailed stripsor pieces, forcing them out of the recesses, as and for the purposeshown and set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereunto afxedmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

DWIGHT C. CLAPP.

Witnessesn E. L. BREWER, Noni-i E. Bnnwnn.

